Easter Messages 2024

I’m preaching 3 different messages across 6 services over the Easter weekend. Instead of writing out a full manuscript for each message, here is a brief summary of what I offered the people of our faith community…

Maundy Thursday      ‘Handed On’ (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

There is a game children sometimes play where they sit in a line and someone whispers a message to the first person in the line. That person then whispers what they heard to the next person, who passes the message on to the next child, and so on until it reaches the last person in the line. When that person says what they heard, it is often very different from the message that was given at the start. The game illustrates how it is easy for messages to change when they are passed on from one person to another over time.

When Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 that he was passing on to the early Christians in Corinth what he had received, he knew that message was important and how easily messages can be misunderstood. He was handing on to his readers the words Jesus spoke to his disciples at his last meal with them. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all report this same message, almost word-for-word, saying that Jesus had started something new, a meal of bread and wine, through which he was giving himself to his followers and sealing a new covenant between them and God.

There has been a lot of discussion in the Christian church over the centuries about what Jesus meant by the words Paul records in verses 24 and 25. Many in the Christian family believe that Jesus intended this meal to be way to remember what he did for us on the cross and the empty tomb. Lutherans have instead focused on Jesus words, ‘This is my body’ and ‘This is my blood’. Without getting too technical about what happens in Holy Communion, if this is only a meal to remember Jesus, then he is absent from the realities of our lives. If he is truly present, then he is physically with us, joining us in our joys and sorrows, giving himself to us to be truly present in all of life’s circumstances, filling us with his life which is stronger than death, and forming us into his body, his physical presence in the world.

Understanding Jesus’ words, ‘This is my body’ and ‘This is my blood’, is not just abut having a ‘correct’ theology. It’s Jesus’ promise that he with us in everything that happens in this life to fill us with his grace and love. This is more than a game where we try to get the message right. It’s about passing on the good news of our crucified and risen Saviour to each other and to the next generation so they can find the peace, joy and hope that this faith brings.

Good Friday                ‘A Liberated Life’ (Mark 15:6-15)

During Lent we held Bible studies in our parish to explore in greater detail Mark’s account of Jesus’ suffering and death, from going to the Garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14:32 to his burial at the end of chapter 15. One aspect of the Good Friday story which spoke to a number of people was when Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, gave the crowd the choice of releasing Barabbas or Jesus (Mark 15:6-15). Mark describes Barrabas as ‘a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising’ (v7 NLT). Some might have seen him as a freedom fighter, but he was a rebel and a murderer. Barabbas wasn’t a good man.

When we look at these two men – Jesus and Barrabas – in front of the crowd, we see two very contrasting people. On the one hand, Jesus preached peace, healed the sick, gave hope to the outcast, and did good in lots of ways. Barrabas, on the other hand, was violent, rebellious, and had committed murder at least once. Jesus was an innocent person, but Barrabas was guilty of some serious crimes.

It might surprise us that the crowd pressured Pilate into releasing Barrabas and sending Jesus to be executed. However, in this exchange we see a powerful illustration of God’s grace: the innocent dies while the guilty goes free.

Barrabas and Jesus illustrate God’s grace for us. I don’t think any of us have been part of an armed rebellion against the government or committed murder, so we probably don’t think we’re as bad as Barrabas. However, we can identify with Barabbas because we have all done wrong, intentionally or by accident, and so we all deserve death because of our sin. God’s grace for us in Jesus is so great, however, that he dies in our place so we can go free. Jesus, the innocent one, goes to the cross so we, the guilty, can live guilt free!

When we discussed the story of Barabbas and Jesus, we wondered what kind of life Barabbas lived after this event. Did he continue to fight against the Romans or kill more people? Or did experiencing God’s grace through Jesus death in his place lead him to use his freedom to help others find the same freedom he had? As we stand at the foot of the cross this Good Friday, how will we live our lives in the freedom Jesus gives us? The innocent died so the guilty can go free. May God give us the grace to use the freedom he gives us to show the same grace to others.

Easter Sunday             ‘First Priority’ (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)

We all have priorities in our lives. They are the things that are important to us which both shape and are reflected in the way we spend our time, energy, and money. If something is important to us, it will be a higher priority in our lives. if it isn’t important, it will be a lower priority. When life gets busy, we will usually make sure that those things which are more important to us will get done, while those that are a lower priority are put on hold.

In the New Testament reading for Easter Sunday, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Paul reveals his priorities to us when he writes, ‘I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me…’ (v3 NLT). He continues by writing about the good news of Jesus, his death on the cross, his resurrection to new life, as the Scriptures said he would, and how he appeared to hundreds of people after his resurrection. The most important thing to Paul was the good news of Jesus’ died and resurrection for us to give us new life.

The gospel was so important to Paul because of the difference it made to his life. When we first meet Paul (who was named Saul at this point) in Acts 8:1, he was a Pharisee. His priority was keeping the Old Testament Law and making sure that others did too. This led Paul to be an angry and violent man. After meeting the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-20), his life changed forever. His priority shifted from persecuting Jesus’ followers to helping people to meet Jesus and follow him so they could share in the peace, joy, hope and love that come with believing in Jesus.

As we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and his victory over sin, death, and the darkness of this world, we have good news to share with our world. We live in a culture that largely believes that death is the end and what we experience in this life is all there is. This results in many people believing that there is no meaning, purpose or hope in life, because if this is all there is, then what’s the point of anything? When we see life from the perspective of Jesus’ resurrection, however, we can find new meaning, purpose and hope in life. What we do and the way we live matters. We can help others meet Jesus in our relationship with them so they can find new meaning, purpose and hope in their lives. Like Paul, our lives have new meaning and purpose as we bring the light of Christ’s resurrection into the lives of others.

What might our churches be like if our first priority was sharing the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection with others…?